The demand for wireless network capacity to provide connectivity for mobile devices including smartphones, tablet computers, and other mobile devices is growing exponentially across the planet. An important aspect of meeting that demand is expanding the footprint of wireless coverage, and in areas where large numbers of people congregate, providing very dense deployments. Here, density refers to installing more access points in a specific, confined physical space than is required to provide a signal to potential clients in that space. The demand for density is driven by the fact that a single access point (the device which bridges communications from a wireless device onto a wired network—for example the Internet) has finite capacity. By increasing density (increasing the number of access points in a space), network capacity is increased, enabling more devices to operate concurrently in a given space.
Increasing density brings specific challenges. Unlike communications over a wired network, communications over a wireless network are not constrained to a finite path. Data traveling over a wireless network is spread over the air and may collide with traffic from another device or access point. As density increases, the opportunity for collisions increases. As the number of access points increases, the need for physical space to mount the access points and any accessories (antennas, protective enclosures, mounting structures) increases. Distributing load across access points (balancing the number of devices connected to all access points) is best achieved when access points are distributed evenly throughout a deployment rather than consolidated in a single mounting location. Localizing the access point's coverage area (the space around an access point in which communications between an access point and a client device is viable) achieves better distribution, but also requires locating mounting structures that move access points closer to the connected wireless devices. In many installations, finding mounting locations closer to these devices is challenging.
In public venues, such as football stadiums where attendance can exceed 100,000 people, current industry best practices can call for the installation of 1,000 or more access points. These structures often lack sufficient walls, ceilings, or overhangs close enough to fans and the devices they want to wirelessly connect to the network to address the challenges outlined above. Getting the access point closer to the fan, while addressing venue operator concerns including security, public safety, and the visual impact of the equipment, has become one of the most significant challenges in developing an implementation that will develop enough distributed capacity to meet the demands of the potential end users.
Implementation experience and regulatory concerns have shown that some obvious opportunities to bring the equipment closer to the end user are not viable. For example, mounting equipment under the concrete below seating creates specific technical problems that drive poor network performance as network utilization is increased. Alternatively, mounting equipment directly under seats (above the concrete) makes protecting the equipment challenging, is potentially in violation of specific FCC exposure regulations, and does not allow the equipment to effectively radiate. Also, mounting directly behind seats quickly creates an unfavorable path for the wireless communications through human bodies that quickly de tune the signal and in many cases blocks site lines (and perhaps even leg room) for fans seated behind the installation.
On the other hand, these large public venues have hand rails installed on the stairways between seating sections. Installing and mounting equipment on handrails would be esthetically pleasing, provide better opportunities for the signal to effectively propagate through the crowd, meet the need to provide separation between the radiating antenna and the fan, and provide a logical structure for installing and cabling to the access point. Handrails have been used as mounting locations in a handful of stadiums to develop effective high density wireless networks. However, these installations have been very crude. Thus, in most cases the hand rail mounting strategy has been relegated to a strategy of last resort, particularly because each of these installations has failed to address key building codes and other functional requirements. Because the antenna transmits and receives radio signals, they are susceptible to RF obstructions and common sources of interference that can reduce throughput and range of the device to which they are connected. Mounting the antenna to utilize its propagation characteristics is an important aspect to increasing range and throughput. One way to do this is to orient the antenna vertically and mount it as high as possible but without interfering with holding the handrails. However, even such mounting technique has its drawbacks, as discussed below. Accordingly, the principles disclosed herein provide a handrail mountable wireless components installation apparatus, which is simple to install and easy to attach, and which overcomes the deficiencies of conventional approaches.